UConn Legend Paige Bueckers Adds Second Rookie of Year Award
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Paige Bueckers entered the 2025 WNBA Draft as a National Champion after the UConn Huskies defeated the top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in the championship game. She charted 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists to win her first national championship. Now, she's added another accolade: Rookie of the Year
Bueckers earned unanimous first-team All-American honors for the third time, alongside the Wade Trophy and Nancy Lieberman Award. She ended her college basketball career with the highest scoring average and third-most points in UConn history.
The point guard was the consensus No. 1 pick ahead of this year's WNBA draft, and the Dallas Wings made it official. She was the first player to hear her name called in the 2025 WNBA Draft, joining the Wings as the No. 1 overall pick.
The rookie averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in the 2025 WNBA season. She was named a WNBA All-Star earlier this season. On Sunday, Buecker won the AP Rookie of the Year award and earned the All-WNBA Second Team AP All-Rookie WNBA Team honor. But the biggest honor came a couple of days later.
Paige Bueckers has been named the 2025 WNBA Kia Rookie of the Year award, the league announced X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
Paige Bueckers is the 2025 WNBA @Kia Rookie of the Year 🏆
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 16, 2025
Averaging 19.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, 3.9 RPG, Bueckers led the @dallaswings as one of the most dynamic rookies the league has ever seen.
#KiaROY | #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/VtT01Qwzr0
Joining a team that was in desperate need of help after finishing 11th with a 9-31 record in the 2024 WNBA season, it was a massive task for Bueckers to live up to the expectations, and the 6-foot point guard delivered individual brilliance.
Bueckers certainly has her sights set on the WNBA title, and she hopes to lead her team to glory in the upcoming season. The Wings are going to strengthen the squad and build their roster around the superstar rookie.
The Wings rookie played 123 games for the Huskies in four years (missed the 2022-23 season due to injury) and charted 2,439 points, 561 assists and 258 steals. If she manages to replicate and improve those numbers in the WNBA, it won't be long before she takes her team to the top.
Nishant is a sports writer with over four years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and soccer. He has bylines in several reputable digital media platforms, including Sportskeeda, Athlon Sports, Pro Football & Sports Network, and PinkVilla. He's known for delivering insightful and engaging coverage on everything, turning game-day grit into punchy storytelling.